– I feel that I am driving us head and ass out of this relay. It’s no fun to destroy a team, so I’m not happy with this relay, said Lien to TV 2.
Karoline Knotten and Juni Arnekleiv had led Norway to 3rd place in the first two stages.
Lien entered standing shooting in 3rd place, but there were three extra shots and two penalty rounds. She therefore finished in tenth place after the penalty rounds. She alternated with Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold as number eight.
Tandrevold has a tough WC, and it didn’t get any better during the relay either. There she had to go through three penalty rounds, and Norway finished far behind the best.
France struggled on the first two stages, but in the end, anchorwoman Julia Simon was able to cruise to a controlled victory. It is the first time France has won a women’s World Cup relay.
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Sweden and Germany were second and third.
Approved opening
Karoline Knotten opened for Norway and she was back after skipping the normal practice due to illness. Knotten used one extra shot on each of the shootings.
Juni Arnekleiv celebrated her 25th birthday by walking the 2nd stage for Norway and went out 16 seconds behind France in the lead. She used a total of five extra shots, but Norway had risen to second place after French Sophie Chauveau had to go out in a penalty round after both lying and standing shooting.
– We must remember that we are good at looking ahead. I am incredibly happy with this team, Knotten told TV 2.
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Ida Lien was sent out 19.2 behind the leader and the surprise Estonia with Germany and Sweden neck and neck behind. France was just over 45 seconds behind the leaders. Lien with one extra shot had put France right on their heels, while Hanna Öberg had taken the Swedes to the lead. The runner from Simostranda had a solid second lap behind Braisaz-Bouchet.
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Challenge
Lien, on the other hand, had a tough challenge in his standing shooting. She had to go out in two penalty rounds and sent anchorwoman Ingrid Tandrevold out in eighth place, 1.40 minutes up on leading France and so far the supreme WC queen, Julia Simon.
Ingrid Tandrevold used two extra shots on the layup and advanced one position. Standing shooting continues as a bad nightmare for Tandrevold, who had to endure three penalty rounds. Norway dropped to ninth place, beaten with 3.43 by the winning team.
– I am perfectly fine. I gambled a bit on my last standing shooting when I saw that Germany used an extra shot. I went for a medal, but I’m probably not quite there that it could succeed. This is biathlon and it swings. Just look at Italy who won last year and now they are even further behind us, said Tandrevold.
Lou Jeanmonnot, Sophie Chauveau, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet and Julie Simon went for France. Anna Magnusson, Linn Persson, Hanna Öberg and Elvira Öberg went for Sweden.
Janina Hettich-Walz, Selina Grotian, Vanessa Voigt and Sophia Schneider went for the bronze team to Germany.